Industrial Specialty Contractors, of Baton Rouge, La., has signed a National Training Service Agreement with the National Center for Construction Education and Research to contribute funds for workforce development and recruitment initiatives.

“With nearly 2 million workers needed over the next seven years, the broad availability of training and our ability to fund an industry-wide recruitment and image campaign is essential to the long-term growth of the industry,” said NCCER President Don Whyte.

Industrial Specialty Contractors will contribute a total of 16 cents per craft-labor hour into a workforce development training fund. Thirteen cents of the contribution will be placed into an insured, interest-bearing corporate training account, managed by NCCER, to give independent third party verification that funds address the company's training initiatives. Two cents is contributed to NCCER for the development of new training curricula and assessments, program revisions, and to support workforce development services for the industry. The remaining one cent of the contribution will be added to a separate account for restricted use towards industry recruitment and image enhancement initiatives, such as NCCER's Build Your Future campaign.

“NCCER brings a higher level of credibility to our employees and the industry,” said Jerry Rispone, Industrial Specialty Contractors president. “Signing the National Training Service Agreement allows us to demonstrate a training commitment to our employees, our customers, and the industry.”